Gifted
by ZehHyperactiveAuthor
Summary: It was them. Those who watched the legend unfold. They were the key. This mixture of souls were never meant to meet. He had to end before it began, to unweave the very threads of destiny that bound them together. He had to keep their paths from crossing.
1. Gone

Me: Someone left a review recently (in chapter 5) that said they didn't like how many OC's I was using, but they liked the story. I explained that my OC's were simply to bring out qualities in the main character that the cannon characters couldn't without being OOC.

Then, I reread my first chapter…and ate my own words. In this chapter, I had used the characters I created when I was SEVEN. They consisted of six hedgehogs and two echidnas. *facepalm* HOW REDUNDANT CAN YOU GET? And not only that, I was totally OBSESSED with them, and focused entirely on them, almost COMPLEATELY leaving out the main character! AND I gave away parts of the story! *dies*

I've never been so embarrassed…

Anywho, tis fixed now. Here is a much shorter chapter with completely different characters. Enjoy!

It was gone.

The concept was mind-numbing, surreal even. After all these years, after all that had transpired there, it was just…gone. She'd broken down before, after it'd happened. They all had. So many had died…There was not a dry eye on the entire station.

But she was okay now. She shouldn't be, she knew. She should be in shambles after witnessing…she didn't want to think about it. The event had shaken everyone, even the strongest of them.

But he would save them. Sonic would fix everything. He always did.

After it'd happened, he quietly pulled himself together and stood and faced the shattered remnants of what was once their home with an air of quiet resolve, emerald eyes burning with defiance. The defiance that had saved them, all those years ago…

That stubborn refusal to accept the way things were had set him apart from them. He never quit fighting. That hedgehog would challenge the very laws of nature for them, so great was his rebellion. This, she knew as fact.

She, like the rest, had been overjoyed when he'd proclaimed that he could change circumstance, go back and erase this catastrophe from the folds of time.

There was something else though, in his eyes. An emotion she knew quite well. And, frankly, it scared her. It was his trapped look, mixed with a steadfast determination.

There was a catch.

This devastation was rooted too deep in their history…there was no way of stopping it. Fate would just carry their footsteps down the same worn path, over and over.

It was them. They were the key. This mixture of souls were never meant to meet, their paths should never have crossed. He had to end before it began, to unweave the very threads of destiny that bound them together. He had to keep them from ever meeting.

The thought of it tore her apart. She'd rather die, then never meet him. She told him so. She knew she was being selfish; she couldn't help it. They were the most unlikely of friends, all of them. They had formed an inseparable bond over the years that had held through whatever torments life had thrown at them. She'd watch the legend form, watched triumph and disaster shape him into what he was now, that inflexible barrier between them and the horrors that followed.

She was scared for him. They would forget, but he would remember. What would it be like for him, to walk through the paths of life alongside those who were closer than family, and they wouldn't even know it? He would be a stranger to them.

Time changes people. Their lives are shaped be occurrence. The friends he once knew would be forever lost, the representations of who they once were walking different paths. They would die today, giving their former selves a second chance at life. A chance that was torn from them…A chance that Sonic gave everything for, and they would never even know.

She watch as they made the preparations for his departure. It would require a great amount of energy, to tear a whole through the fabric of time. It shouldn't be possible, but Sonic was an anomaly himself.

Before he left, he turned toward them, his eyes sweeping over his friends one last time. And when their eyes met, she knew.

She would not forget. It was an impossibility, but his unreasonable defiance had worn off on her. She would remember, whatever it took. She would remember him. Remember the one who gave everything for them. The impossible legend.

Their guardian.

Their salvation.

Their closest friend.

_She would remember_.

Then everything went black.

Me: Soooooo…how did I do? Better? Good. REVIEW!


	2. Emberly

Me: Ohmigosh, that took _forever_! Before you murder me, allow me to explain. I wrote the first couple of chapters of _Gifted_ on **paper**! Do you have _any idea_ how _boring _it is to copy something from paper to computer! That's, like, 53 pages! Anywho, hope you enjoy! R&R! ^_^

_**Gifted**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**~18 years earlier…~**_

The sun slowly set over the towering cliff that bordered one side of the small, homey town of _Emberly_, splashing fire across the cloudless sky. A young silvery-grey cat lounged in her uncomfortable desk chair, clear chocolate brown eyes drowsily scanning the pristine white halls of the town's local hospital. Sarah was bored…in every meaning of the word. She had been sitting at her desk for a good seven hours and with absolutely no activity. The nurses never came unless there was an emergency, and there was no way a doctor would stoop so low to speak to a mere receptionist.

Sarah sighed. She had just moved here after two years of collage, wanting to get away from her dull town and see Terah in all it's glory. She wanted to see the great falls of Kartia and visit the shining metropolis of Ashinra (_ah_-shin-rah), the silver city. If she was lucky, she might of even run into Ross Crencial. He was said to be the only Taren to have gone to Raheshiwah (rah-_he_-she-wah) and made it back alive! And where did she end up? Sarah groaned, banging her head against the wall. The most dramatic thing that happened since she had moved here was giving an old lady directions to the library and tending to a rabbit who broke his toe kicking a wall.

Of course there was the local folklore and legends. One of the most popular was the oh-so-spectacular "Star of Latsula". From what she gathered, it would shine it's "holy light" upon their "humble little town" annually on the tenth of March. The weird thing was, not a single person doubted this legend. They kept talking about tomorrow, calling it the "day without sun". Sarah half expected to see the townsfolk worshiping a flashlight that got stuck on a roof.

Sarah glanced at the miniature clock seated alongside her seven-inch portable radio. 11:38. Lovely. Sarah let out a yawn, deciding to get some rest. She had just finish constructing a makeshift pillow out of the dozens of crumpled up SODUKU puzzles in the recycle bin when the door was slammed open. She jumped about seven feet. A new record. Giving an irritated glance at the paper now sprawled across the floor, Sarah looked up to glare at the cause of her problems. Her eyes widened in surprise.

Leaning against the metallic doorframe was an exhausted young woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties. The powerful wind from the open glass door had disheveled her loose brown quills, giving her a weathered appearance. She could tell instantly that the woman was heavy with child, and yet her deep blue eyes, though glazed with pain, were calm and determined. The moment their eyes met, Sarah immediately knew what the young hedgehog needed and pressed the little red button thingy on her desk that called the nurse. Satisfied that help was on it's way, she hurried over to assist the hedgehog, who leaned gratefully on her shoulder as Sarah wrapped the woman's arm securely around her neck. Looking up at her, the woman addressed Sarah for the first time with a sense of…was it urgency? No, she was just stating facts, miraculously retaining a calm demeanor though Sarah knew that she was in tremendous pain. _Strong woman. _

"The baby-"

"I know," Sarah interrupted. "The nurse is on her way." Then, as an afterthought, she added, "You should sit down." She was just leading the grateful hedgehog to one of the numerous waiting-room chairs when two people thundered down the main hall directly opposite of the door. Sarah recognized them instantly. One was the nurse, a pure white wolf with sharp, observant hazel eyes who went by the name of Crissey Sanders. The other was a good friend of Sarah's, a light-blue lamb called Julia or 'Julie'. The moment Crissey spotted Sarah, she scowled in agitation.

"_You_ again? Don't tell me you've accidentally hit the call button. You know we have better things to do than refill your coffee mug." Sarah narrowed her eyes. _That __**wasn't **__my fault and she knows it._ Sarah was just about to tell her this for the _millionth_ time, when the hedgehog beside her tensed from a sudden contraction, giving a small whimper of pain. Crissey noticed this immediately. "That woman's in labor," she stated. _No kidding, Sherlock. _Crissey turned to Julie who had her worried brown eyes worriedly on my passenger. "Julia, you help Sarah take the patient to the delivery room, Level 3, Door 4E. I'll get Dr. Grayson."

Having said her piece, she turned and hurried down the hallway, every so often giving an order to a passing nurse or motioning for someone to join her. Sarah sighed. She had to admit, though she could be a pain-in-the-neck sometimes, she was fantastic in a crisis. After all, she _was_ the doctor's assistant.

Julie quickly rushed over to where Sarah was slowly sinking under the weight of a full grown hedgehog and her unborn baby. The woman's weight was instantly decreased as Julie took her other arm and they both half lead, half dragged the weary hedgehog to the nearest elevator.

"So, what's her name?" Julie inquired, eyes on their patient.

"She's not unconscious, Jules," Sarah huffed. "Ask her." The woman turned her head to face her.

"They call me Emily, Emily Hunter." Then, something passed by her eyes and her lips quirked upward ever-so-slightly. "Nova calls me his guardian angel…" Her smile was quickly stolen by a fresh wave of pain. Pressing the button for the elevator, Julie asked, "Is Nova your husband?" Emily nodded distantly. Julie pondered this for a half second before speaking again. "Shouldn't he be here? I mean, if he's your husband, than shouldn't he be, like, treading a hole through the floor and driving the unfortunate nurses up the wall like most of the father-to-bes?" Emily's smile was bitter-sweet as she replied.

"I'm afraid he can't make it. Right now he is fighting for the lives of the innocent over four thousand light-years away." Julies eyes widened at this and she regarded the hedgehog with a sort of awed wonder.

"You mean," she breathed, "You're an _alien_?"

"_Julie!_" Sarah scolded as we stepped inside the elevator. "Don't be ridiculous!" _She can be so naive sometimes._ "It's just a figure of speech." She turned to give Emily an apologetic shrug, but stopped short at her peculiar expression.

"Actually, I'm afraid your friend is right," Emily stated, a flicker of amusement present in her deep blue eyes. "I am, as you would say, not of this world." She smiled mysteriously at their baffled expressions before returning her gaze to the dials above. The rest of the trip was pretty much uneventful, room 4E being literally ten feet from the elevator doors. As Sarah headed back to her desk, she couldn't help but ponder over the words of the peculiar woman. _An outworlder? How did she get here? I mean, a nine-month-pregnant woman wasn't exactly travel-worthy. How long had she been here? I've never seen her in town before, or anywhere for that matter. And her husband's at war in another __**galaxy**__? _For the next fifteen minutes, the young fox remained at her desk, her mind buzzing with questions.

_**BONG! **_

Sarah jumped as the town clock chimed the first of the twelve notes required to mark the correct passage of time. Yes! Her shift was _finally_ over! Sarah shot out of her desk and eagerly made her way toward the double-doors, the only thing standing between her and her temporary freedom. She froze. _What the…?_

Sarah watched in awed wonder as a eerie blue light began to flood the tiles in front of her, pouring through the glass and lapping at her feet. She quickly backed away, pressing herself against the desk as her eyes sought the source of the strange blue glow. She gasped. It was coming from the sky! A strange hazy mist had entered the courtyard outside reflecting the peculiar light. It was…haunting. Unreal. But…it was only light, right? It must be someone's weird idea of a joke.

With this reassuring thought in her mind, Sarah hesitantly reached a trembling hand in to the thick blue haze in front of her. It burned like cold fire. Sarah yelped as she automatically jerked back the affected area, staring at it in bewilderment. The burning sensation disappeared the moment the light left her hand, and was now replaced by an aggravating tingling sensation, like it had fallen asleep.

This was no flashlight.

Sarah dashed toward the elevator, intent on demanding Julie for an explanation. She pressed the call button, tapping her foot in impatience. For about five minutes. Sarah sighed. This was taking too long. She had just turned in exasperation toward the metallic staircase not seven feet away, when the elevator doors opened with an innocent little 'ding!'. Sarah turned to glare at it. The elevator didn't seem to mind, waiting patiently for its passenger. The young fox sighed in agitation as she made her way toward it. Stepping inside it, she pressed the button marked three. Nothing happed. Now looking annoyed, she pressed it again. And again. And ag-

_**SHOOM!**_

The fox screamed as the elevator shot downward so fast, she was almost certain it would collide with the floor. She shut her eyes and braced herself for impact. Suddenly, the elevator reversed it's direction, now heading upwards at a speed that pinned her to the carpeted floor. Then, it stopped. Terrified, Sarah dragged her self of said floor, using the metal railing for support. The elevator moved. Sarah screamed. It stopped. Silence.

Another move.

Another scream.

Silence.

By now, Sarah had a white-knuckled grip on the railing that was sure to leave dents. Slowly, the elevator inched it's way back down to level one, where it stopped. More silence. Sarah stared at the room she had just come from with something akin to disbelief. Then, she dashed out of the elevator and peered at it from the protective cover of her desk. The elevator didn't move. Was it _staring_ at her? Sarah mentally slapped herself. Of course not! She'd been spending waaaaay to much time around Julie. Sarah narrowed her eyes with renewed determination.

Something weird was going on. Sarah wanted answers, and she wanted them _now_. She dashed upstairs.

Me: Soooooo…like I said before, this is my version of Sonic's back-story. Guess who 'Emily' is? And what's with that weird light. Here's a hint: In the first chappy, Sonic says that in order to time travel, he needs to use his 'energy'. And then, he was surrounded by _blue_ fire. R&R! ^_^


	3. Birth

_**Gifted**_

_**Chapter 3**_

*Five Minutes Later*

Leaning against the doorframe for support, a silver fox inhaled deeply.

_**Air**_!

_Man, who knew sprinting up three flights of stairs could be so exhausting?_ Sarah wondered. Scanning the unusually vacant second-story hallway, her eyes soon targeted a very distraught Julie, arms full of medical gizmos. Realizing that Julie was headed strait for her, she patiently waited for her presence to be acknowledged. But Julie didn't seem to notice her; in fact, she passed right by her without so much as an upward glance, muttering to herself.

"_Julie_!" Sarah called, sounding a little annoyed.

Julie whirled around. "Wha…?" Sarah narrowed her eyes.

"What the _heck_ is going on?" she demanded. Julie immediately started freaking out, a wild look entering her eyes.

"I'm worried about Emily! If she gives birth tonight…Oh! Of all nights, why _now_?"she moaned. Sarah vainly attempted to calm her, hoping to restore the fragments of her sanity.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, _whoa_! Jules, _breath_!" she ordered. "This isn't helping at _all_!" While her friend tried to piece together her wits, Sarah continued. "As much as I'd love to know about Emily, my number one concern right now involves a strange blue light and a deranged elevator." Julies eyes widened.

"Oh…oh no….No, no, no, no, _no_!" She panicked. "This shouldn't be happening! It isn't _fair_!"

"What isn't fair" Sarah asked, bewildered. Julie didn't hear her.

"Why did have to come here?"

"Jules…"

"_Why_!"

"_**Julia**_!" Sarah took her disheveled friend by the shoulders, forcing Julie to look at her. "What. Is. Going. _On_!" Julie was miraculously silent, probably shocked by Sarah's uncharacteristic outburst. But hey, after unwilling riding the "Tower of Terror" and watching _Emberly_ turn into a ghost town in the span of fifteen minutes, Sarah felt like she had gotten dragged into a horror film and she _wanted_ _**answers**_! And the fact that her arm _still_ felt like it had fallen asleep Did. Not. Help.

"Sarah…"Julie started cautiously, as if she were talking to a toddler. "You know that legend-"

"Yes, I _know_ the legend!" Sarah interrupted impatiently. And I distinctly remember the townsfolk calling it 'the day without sun', _**not**_ 'the night of the living elevator'!" As if to prove her point, a meek little 'ding!' filled the air, and the nearby elevator doors opened to show…the back the elevator shaft. The elevator in question slowly slid down into view, pausing to stare at them for a few seconds before whizzing back up the shaft. The doors closed. "I rest my case," Sarah stated evenly. Julie released a deep sigh and closed her eyes.

"For as long as we can remember, _Emberly_ has always had weird electrical disturbances annually on the tenth of March. _Nothing_ works right. Usually, someone shuts down the main generator, but with Emily here…" she trailed off.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "_That's_ what you're worried about?"

Another sigh. "No. What _I'm_ worried about is…well…" Julie hesitated. "There's this other part of the myth. It talks about…something weird happens to any child born on the night of the Blue Star."

"Weird?" Sarah prompted.

"Yeah…there's this mark…on the back of their left hand. It's kinda like a birth mark. It stays with them their whole life…And they supposedly get 'special abilities' or something. People think their cursed."

"So," Sarah finished, "This poor child will basically be branded for life with abilities he/she can't control." Julie nodded. "Well then, with that being said, this is officially the _worst_ day of my life." They both stood their for a moment as Sarah soaked this in.

"_Julia_!" Crissey called form the room down the hall.

"Coming!" Julie replied and hurried toward room 4E. Sarah sorta just stood their for awhile, the words '_Now what…?_' running through her head. Suddenly, Crissey's head reappeared to glare at the young fox.

"You're still here?" she growled. "Why don't you just go home? Some of us have work to do around here!" Under normal circumstances, Sarah would've replied with a sharp comeback, but then…this night wasn't exactly 'normal' and Sarah was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"I…I can't go out into that blue light! It burns!" Crissey's eyes widened and narrowed at the same time (if that's even possible).

"You _touched_ the light! Are you _crazy_?" She rushed over to the bewildered fox. "Let me see!" she ordered. Sarah was to confused to protest as she meekly showed the frantic wolf her arm. Sarah couldn't really figure out what the head nurse was looking at; _she_ couldn't see any difference. But Sarah knew better than to confront Crissey's judgment. After a few seconds, the wolf turned and led the Sarah into a nearby room. Rummaging through the freezer, she soon produced a glowing green ointment and started rubbing it on the affected area. Two seconds later, the prickling sensation completely vanished!

Sarah stared at her arm in bewilderment.

"How…How did you…What _is_ that stuff?" Crissey replaced the vial as she replied.

"It's the liquidized form of a crystal found in a meteor that fell to Terah over seven years ago. Unlike other elements, this one only seems to melt if the temperature is below freezing. When added to Blue Star energy, to two elements cancel each other out." Then, she fixed Sarah with a glare. "You are not to touch it under any circumstances. This is one of last vials we have. Now…As long as you _have_ to be here, you might as well make yourself useful."

"Useful?" Sarah echoed. "How?" Crissey just waved her off, turning to scan through a bunch of filed documents.

"Go and keep Emily company," she ordered. "I have work to do." Sarah glared at her, but headed toward the delivery room all the same.

Besides, she had a couple of questions for Mrs. Hunter.

Opening the ridiculously white door, she was greeted by the hum of machinery and the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. Emily smiled warmly up at her.

"Hello there," she greeted, looking the picture of calm. Sarah smiled back at her,

Suddenly Emily tensed, releasing a cry of pain. In one swift motion, Crissey flung the door open, grabbed Sarah's arm, and yanked her through.

"No receptionists allowed!" She barked, then promptly slammed the door in the bewildered fox's face. Sarah spent the next few hours mentally dissing Crissey and, occasionally, staring down an elevator. She was in the middle of yet another stare-down when she heard a sudden commotion coming from the delivery room. Crissey and Julie were speaking frantically to each other; there voices were so jumbled, Sarah couldn't hear what they were saying. This continued for a couple of seconds and then…

_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. . .eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!_

The droning whine of the heart monitor drown out everything else. Sarah didn't have to be a nurse to know what that meant.

_No…_

She dashed to the door and flung it open, teary eyes taking in the scene before her. Her eyes immediately sought out Emily. She was smiling warmly and her eyes were closed, giving one the impression that she was in a deep yet peaceful slumber. Her head was turned to the side, making it obvious what the last thing that she gazed upon was, the reason she was smiling. There, to her right, was a pristine white hospital cradle. Sarah slowly approached it with a sort of awed reverence, brown eyes eager to look upon the miracle Emily had sacrificed herself for.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that greeted her. Sarah saw not one, but _two_ tiny bundles lying, unusually peaceful, on the smooth mattress. The sleepy infant hedgehogs were covered from head to toe with soft peach fuzz. One was a little girl. Her wide, inquisitive ocean-blue eyes darted back and forth in wonder. Her fur was the color of the wheat fields that bordered most of the town: a golden-brown. She seemed fearless and full of energy, like she couldn't wait to face the world.

Her brother on the other hand was unnaturally quiet. He just lay there, silently absorbing his new environment with observant emerald eyes; his ears would occasionally turn at the slightest sound. His fur was a lighter color than his mothers and was quite plain, just a brownish-tan. Sarah couldn't help but worry about him; he seemed so shy.

Crissey materialized beside her; the sound of her voice nearly scarred the silver fox witless.

"Check their hands," she ordered. Sarah just stared at her dumbly.

"Me?" she asked in bewilderment. Crissey turned to glare at her.

"Not _you_, you moron!" she scoffed. " You're not even supposed to be here." Sarah narrowed her eyes and was about to protest when Crissey's anger suddenly vanished. "Still, I guess that doesn't matter anymore." Julie appeared a microsecond later, taking a hold of the girls tiny fist and turning it over to that the back was visible. While the girl didn't seem to notice, her brother suddenly came to life, crying out his protest. But when he turned toward his sister, she gave him a content smile and he immediately quieted down, satisfied. Sarah peered inquisitively at the girl's hand.

A smudge.

That was all. A tiny blue smudge amidst a mass of soft golden fur. She found an identical smudge on her brother.

"_That's _the mark?" Sarah inquired in disbelief. "A _smudge_?"

"It grows as they do," Julie explained. Sarah nodded absent-mindedly.

"Call the orphanage," Crissey ordered Julie, then wandered off to do some more nurse-y stuff, leaving Sarah alone with the twins, who were now yawning, revealing their tiny fangs. She smiled down at them, wished them luck in life (cause God knows they were gonna need it), and then, taking one last look at Emily's peaceful form, she headed through the door and down the quiet hospital corridor, intent on raiding the food storage room for something even remotely edible.


	4. Elisha and I

Me: I. Am. ALIVE! And apparently hibernate…Oh well. Blame my hamster. Why? Because if you blame my family, they'd deny everything. And if you blame Roxy, she'll come after you with a Godzilla-alien-gun about the size of your mother's car. Her brother on the other hand…

Jake: (still fixing fried computer) This is all your fault.

Roxy: No, it's not! How was _I_ supposed to know that using the main computer wire to charge my I-pod would fry its mainframe!

Jake: You could've, I dunno, read the directions?

Roxy: Do the words trail-and-error mean _anything_ to you?

Jake: Yes. 'Error' means '$3,000 out of our bank account'.

Roxy: Yeah, well-…..We have a bank account?

Jake: *insert dead-pan stare*

Roxy: *mumbles* You're hardware sucks…

Me: Right…ANYway, Roxy, the disclaimer, if you will.

Roxy: No, I won't.

Me: Why not?

Roxy: Because I'm in a bad mood. Stop being lazy.

Me: I'm not-Oh, forget it…Sonic belongs to Sega and _A Place Called Home_ belongs to…not me. I dunno what her name is. Read on!

_A vast meadow of emerald grass stretched out before me, the like of which I had never seen before. With the lack of the hindering buildings or trees, the wind blew about freely, gently stirring the long green blades and casting shining droplets of water through the air. This was a fresh, morning breeze, smelling of earth and sky. It swirled around me and gently played at my quills; it whispered in my ear, enticing me to join it as it danced merrily around the meadow. This wind was undaunted and wild. This wind was free._

_I couldn't help but listen._

_Digging my shoe into the soft earth, I started to run. As I slowly gained speed, the wind began to whip against my face, blowing my long quills about wildly. The adrenalin began to course through my veins as my feet thundered against the earth, sending powerful vibrations through my small, six-year-old frame. As I continued to gain speed, the pounding of my feet and heart merged, their two chaotic rhythms now one steady, pulsing beat. My surroundings were a blur of color; blue, green, and brown swirled together to create a vibrant, chaotic yet hypnotizing masterpiece. _

_Part of me felt numb to the outside world. I became detached and drifting, no longer conscious of the ground beneath my feet, as though I were flying and falling in the same instant. My eyes drifted closed and I let the wind carry me anywhere and everywhere, my senses almost nonexistent._

_Suddenly I was hurled back to reality as my senses came alive. I became aware of every blade of grass, every quill, and every fiber of fur. I could feel the fabric of my gloves and the soles of my shoes. I could hear every sound. I felt every heartbeat and every deep, freeing breath as who, where, and what I once was became lost in the mysteries of time. Every step renewed my spirit, rekindling the fire within and the yearning for freedom. _

_And then…I was drifting again._

_My heartbeat echoed through me as fire pulsed through my veins. My regular, shallow breathing filled the empty silence._

_Thump-thump…thump-thump…_

_There was no one and nothing here…Only me and the gentle wind._

"Dash?"

_No…that isn't right. There was only wind here. A living, pulsating, and completely serene wind._

"Daaaaaaaaaaash…?"

_I __**was**_ _the wind._

"**Dash!**" The wind disappeared, fleeing the loud and obnoxious intrusion. Without it, the feelings of freedom, ecstasy, and peace shattered as I was dragged back to cold, painful, and rather _annoying_ reality. I uttered a small, aggravated groan. Did she _have_ to wake me up _now_? That was the _best_ part! "_Finally_! I thought you'd _never_ get up!" Her irritatingly cheerful voice dragged my back to here and now as I opened a groggy eye to glare at her. A golden-brown hedgehog smiled cheerfully back at me; her deep blue eyes sparkled with wonder. "Come look outside! It's _snowing_!"

My frown deepened. "_Go_ _away_!"

My obvious anti-sister vibes did not deter her. "No really, it's-"

"Elisha," I interrupted, "You _always_ say that!" Elisha gave me a cute little pout.

"But I _mean it _this time!" She protested indignantly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Suuuuuuuure…"

"Dash, I'm _serious_!"

"And I'm the king of Ethdon," was my dry retort.

"_Dash_!" she whined, then resumed her pouting. "_Fine_! _Don't_ believe me!" Sending me one last kicked-puppy look, she whirled around and stormed out of the room.

"You'll be baaaack!" I predicted.

"No I won't!" Elisha insisted, already halfway down the hall.

"Yes, you will!"

"Won't!"

Yawning, I reluctantly sat up, silently counting down from fifty-seven. My tired eyes sleepily scanned our temporary residence, finally noticing that they'd opened the window. That brought back a flood of memories from the night before. My twin and I had sat, snuggled in blankets, on the cold, hardwood floor, celebrating our sixth birthday as best we could, given the circumstances.

Every year, for twenty-four hours, we would spend the tenth of March in a locked room, shut off from all of the other children. The room's only furniture was two, small beds and a little table on which was placed our day's supply of food. The only light was a flickering yellow bulb hanging from the ceiling and the only warmth was a few cotton bed sheets.

The bulb could never seem to decide weather it was on or off, and a few times the light would disappear completely, leaving us in total darkness. At first, my sister banged on the door, asking whoever happened to hear if they could pretty please change the bulb because ours was being mean and hiding its light. Usually, she got no answer, and if she did, it was a hurried and terrified apology.

From this, we'd concluded that something terrible must be happening and that they were probably doing this to all the children to protect them. Then Elisha would point out how kind the headmaster was to let us stay together when they'd separated all the other children. This comment was immediately and quite passionately contradicted by myself as I pointed out that the headmaster was as kind as a mosquito and probably just as thoughtful, earning a laugh from my sister.

So, we'd spent the rest of the evening telling ghost stories, dreaming of the sunlight, and once or twice, wondering what our parents had been like. After about an hour or so of heated discussion, I'd firmly concluded that we didn't have parents nor have we ever before, because parents didn't abandon there children for the sake of a stupid old birthmark and some crazy mystical mumbo jumbo. Elisha had not replied, instead dutifully changing the subject, making me wish the dang light bulb would get its lazy self out of hibernation so that I could see her expression.

When we felt sleepy, we crawled under the warmth of our covers, whispering jokes and riddles. The short lapse of silence that followed had produced a quite song from my sister and her voice slowly lulled me to sleep.

_Well iiiiit's not haaard to see._

_Anyone who looks at me,_

_Knows I am just…a roll-ing stone._

_Never land-ed any place to call my own._

_To caaaall my own…_

_Well it…seems like so long ago,_

_But it reeeeally aaaain't, you know._

_I started off…a cra-zy kid._

_Miracle I made it…through the things I did._

_The thiiiiiings I did…_

_Well somedaaaay I'll go,_

_Where there ain't no raaain or snooow._

_Till then…_

_I traaavel alooooooone._

_And I maaaaake my bed,_

_With the stars above myyy heeead,_

_And I'll dreeeam of a place,_

_Caaaaaalled hooooooome… _

I was humming the ending notes of that sad, quiet tune as my countdown reached single digits. _Seven…six…five…four…three…two…one…_ I had just reached '_zero_' when Elisha burst through the door, looking like she'd just lost World War III.

"Oh, come _on_!" she begged. "It's almost 8:00, and besides, we have chores to do…" I hurriedly bit down on my triumphant smirk, enjoying the aggravated look on her face. I absolutely adored pestering my sister. (**AN: I firmly believe that males were put on God's good earth for the sole purpose of driving their unfortunate counterparts up the wall. And visa-versa…**:D *evil laughter*) My mind scrambled for a way to prolong her annoyance and I immediately found one.

"But Elisha," I whined, looking as pitiful as possible. "The floor is _freezing_!" However it seems I'd underestimated my twin. She simply smiled nonchalantly, shrugging and turning toward the door.

"Suit yourself," was all she said as she walked across the room. At the door though, she turned with a roguish grin and said, "I'll see if I can save you a pancake."

I blanked. "Pancakes?" _Erm…cold floor not looking so bad anymore. _"Are you sure?" I prompted.

She nodded.

"Positive?"

"_Dash_…"

"Then why didn't you say so?" I smiled my truce, showing I meant no harm, and she smiled back, showing she understood. Of course, she was probably thinking '_**Boys**__…_' with a proverbial roll of her eyes, but still…

Frowning, I now directed my attention on the offending floor, sure I was going to get frostbite the moment I set foot on it. I glanced up at my sister's half amused-half impatient expression and then back down at the floor before poking it warily with a clawed bare toe. Okay…now I was more worried about slipping on the thin layer of ice that crusted the wood. Was it really _that_ cold?

I cast my sister a pleading look, now realizing for the first time why she was wearing boots. There were probably six layers of socks in there… "Carry me?" I joked. She smiled and, with a tolerant roll or her eyes, turned to collect my worn sneakers from the other side of the room.

Me: Yaaaaay! I. Adore. Mini. Sonic! Well, yeah, so I named him Dash. What? You can't honestly believe he was called 'Sonic' from birth? And I refuse, absolutely _refuse_ to call him Ogilvie! (Yes, computer, that _is_ a real name, so quit underlining it in red!) I mean, _honestly_! That's like sticking a label your kid saying 'Tease me. I'm weird.'. I can't even _pronounce _that! What is it, German? (Eh he…no offence to German folk.)

BTW: random question…How did Sonic's parents die? I mean in the _real_ world. (sorta…) Does anyone know? Cause I've got people saying they died in a boating accident! (Does…not…compute…) Oh, to the person who wrote that, I LOVE YOUR STORY! Soooo yeah. No harm done.

P.S.-I update for reviews! Literally. _**You**_ let me know if this is worth continuing! Please…?


	5. Flagpole Hunting

Me: Oh. My. Gosh. Holy enchilada with a side of beans! It's been THREE MONTHS since I've updated ANYTHING! *gasp* I'm sooooo PROUD! I managed to stay off of the computer for THREE WHOLE MONTHS! Yayz! *cartwheels* Anywhoz, no worries, I was still writing during that time, so I gots a LOT of updates! Of course, I'm dealing with FINALS soooooo yeah. But you DEFINATALLY won't have to wait so long for the next update! So I don't own Sonic n' Co. (Who will _eventually_ appear…) Happy Reading! ^_^

Hey, what do you know? It really _is_ snowing. Mesmerized, I gazed out the window at the newly-fallen snow that blanketed the courtyard. The quite world outside seemed devoid of life, completely peaceful, and the frost had left floral, crystallized patterns on the glass. It was beautiful, captivating…

"Dash, come _on_!" Elisha's voice broke my thoughts as she tugged impatiently on my arm. "We're going to be late for roll call!"

Roll call. I _hated_ roll call.

A minute later, I was standing in my place in line with the other reluctant children, feeling like prisoners lined up for inspection. We were cold, hungry, and _bored_ as we, along with several restless caretakers, waited for the headmaster to show. Elisha took this time to converse with her best friend, Kelsey, a brown wolf cub with playful lavender eyes.

It was interesting how many friends Elisha could make, in spite of the mark on her hand. Perhaps it was her personality. Elisha and I were, after all, practically polar opposites. She was open, cheerful, and loud, while I was quite and withdrawn. She was clumsy. I was careful. She was friendly. I…wasn't liked.

This was probably my own fault. Elisha refused to let the supposed 'curse' weigh her down, clawing her way into social groups. The way she saw it, if people didn't want to spend time with her because of their superstition, then they were simply not worth her time and effort. Me? I wasn't so friendly. It's not that I was anti-social or anything. I was just…shy, I guess. People's opinions mattered to me a lot more than they did to Elisha.

I simply wasn't a people person. I was more of a dreamer and spent most of my time deep in thought, absorbing the mysteries life had to offer, while Elisha just sped on by. I lived in the moment. Elisha hurried to experience the next. Elisha was risky. She went through life by trial and error and was willing to make mistakes. She lived every day as though it was her last, taking every chance as though she'd never get another.

Now that I think about it, perky, clumsy, carefree, think-on-your-feet Elisha held a lot more wisdom than most did. She had only been living for six years, yet she had already pretty much figured out the basics of living. She tackled life head-on and when it came to defending what she believed in, she never backed down.

Like, people not teasing her brother, for instance. She spent many a happy hour defending me, her quiet-sensitive twin, from anyone who so much as frowned at me. Except the headmaster, since that was pretty much impossible.

Speak of the devil…

I watched quietly as the gnarled old crow hobbled up to the podium, pausing to scowl at us with disapproving yellow eyes before squawking out names to the sleepy children who mechanically replied.

"**Crystal Lewis!**"

"Present…"

"**Todd Henderson!**"

"Present."

"**Jimmy Castle!**"

"Zzzzzzz-snort, uh…whut…?"

"**JIMMY CASTLE!"**

"Oh! Uh…Present?"

"Dash Lightstorm!"

"Present…," was my quiet, timid reply. She sent me a special I-hate-you-the-most scowl before continuing.

"**Vostellent Marbostlly!**" I admit, sometimes it was difficult not to laugh at that name…I almost feel sorry for him.

"Present."

"**Elisha Lightstorm!**"

"Future." Giggles erupted in the room around me. Yup, that was my sister alright. The old crow ignored her.

"**Thomas Jr.!**"

"Future!"

"**Kelsey Silvesky!**"

"Past!" More giggles. This time her glare quickly silenced them. And so it continued that the children cycled through 'Past', 'Present', or 'Future' throughout the remainder of the dreaded roll call. A half-hour later, when the last 'Past' had been uttered through ever-smiling lips, we were _finally_ dismissed for breakfast. I immediately made my way to the door with the wave of hungry children, the fluffy golden, syrupy goodness calling to me to the ten-mile assembly line.

Suddenly, I found my path blocked by a teacher resembling the Wicked Witch of the West. I immediately deflated. Oh, come _on_! No today! There were _pancakes_! _**Pancakes**_! Ten minuets later, my now bundled form was tossed out the courtyard's sliding glass door and into the freezing snow.

_Stupid_ _flag_… Being only six years old, the two feet of snow made visibility near impossible. I mean, _jeeze_! The snow was _smothering _me! How the heck was I supposed to find anything in-

_**THUNK!**_

A snow shovel landed a couple of feet away from me. _Lovely._ I 'swam' toward the noise, searching for said shovel. After about twenty minutes of aimless wandering, I had discovered seven old socks, the frozen remnants of last weeks famous ketchup-tuna-tofu-casserole, a rubber duck, a pink tutu, three tubes of lipstick, a bobble head of someone named Binky the Clown (I _really _don't want to know…), and a misplaced fire hydrant. And yet, still no shovel. I was starting to consider going back and using the casserole plate to scoop up the snow. I mean, this was getting redicu-

"_Whaaaaa_!" _**Thud**_. "_**Ow**__." _Never mind. I have found the shovel. It was _another_ ten minuets before my shovel hit anything other that snow (ancient red outdoor barbecue notwithstanding). _Finally_! I enthusiastically brushed away the snow…and came face to face with the sliding glass door. Huh. It appears I've taken a wrong turn…

It only took ten minutes for me to find the small brick wall surrounding the flag, now that I was pointed in the right direction, using the shiny red barbecue and fire hydrant as points of reference. Then, I threw my shovel over it before scrambling over myself.

Now, to most children, the courtyard was nothing more than a ice covered circle at which the center of was the orphanage flag pole. To me, it was a crystal mirror, reflecting the vibrant sunrise and casting the painted colors across the once grey brick walls. The metallic flagpole now resembled the rippling surface of water with all the colors of the rainbow dancing at its surface. This site alone was, in my opinion, worth the trouble, and I sat back awhile to admire it.

That is, until the biting cold forced my to get off my swiftly numbing rear and head toward the pole. Unfortunately, the majestic ice was also very slippery and I was on my knees twice before finally gripping the flagpole like some long-lost friend. Good, now all I had to do was…wait…_**Where was the flag!**_

Forty-five minutes later, I wearily stumbled through the glass door, tripping over the useless plastic through-rug and falling flat on my face. Exhausted, I was content to just lay there thank-you-very-much until my sister, who just happened to be passing by, giggled at my misfortune. I scowled up at her.

"I changed my mind," I huffed. "_So_ not worth it." Then, my headwear, now more resembling an upside-down snow cone than a beanie, tipped forward and dumped slush all over my face.

Giggling, she knelt down and brushed some of the snow off my head with a sympathetic smile. "Poor baby."

"Oh, shut up."

XXxxXXxxXXxxXX

I am now convinced that someone is plotting against me. This many things could not _possibly_ have gone wrong otherwise. Right? Right. The question was, who was doing it and why? Well…'who' anyway.

These were the thoughts running through my head as I sat in a puke-green room with a myriad of toys, soon-to-be parents, and other children. Also known as the Adoption Room. This was the room where adults got to meet the orphaned children and choose their new child. Woopdeedoo.

See, the moment my sister and I were born, the entire town was notified *coughwarnedcoughcough* of our existence. So the prospective parents had a nasty habit of avoiding us like the plague. It got to the point where I had actually made a game out of it, pretending I was someone of great importance and the crowd was parting for me.

When that got boring, I picked out the most disagreeable parent I could find and began to stalk him/her, enjoying the freaked out expression on their face. What? I was bored. Besides, they deserved it.

I was on my fifth parent, a skittish grey fox who kept muttering something about 'demon child' every time I got within two feet of her, when I got the strangest feeling that I was being watched. Of course, this wasn't all _that_ abnormal, me being a 'legend' and all, but still…it was unnerving.

So, I promptly turned to glared at the person making my skin crawl, coming face to face with warm turquoise eyes. Immediately, confusion spread through me. No. It must be wishful thinking…She couldn't _really _be smiling at _me_…could she? I glanced behind me and, finding nothing but a wall, returned my curious gaze to her. Yep, she was still there, still smiling.

Realizing she'd captured my attention, the snow-colored tigress in question sent me a small, friendly wave. I looked away, confused. I mean, how was I supposed to respond to that? It was new to me. I decided that the best course of action was to ignore her and hope she'd lose interest. No such luck. For the next hour or so, the tigress quietly trailed after me. Every time I turned around, there she was, _still _smiling at me.

Just what was she trying to accomplish anyway? Was she one of those extremely nosey reporters? If so, then what was with the smile? Maybe it was to get my trust. Do I really look that stupid? …Never mind.

But then, if she _was _a reporter, the headmaster would've never let her in…Maybe she's posing as a prospective parent? Naw, dumb idea. The old crow would've noticed. It's almost _scary_ how much she knows. I shuttered at the thought of it.

By now, some of the other parents had noticed the smiling woman and had begun whispering about her. They were probably wondering the same things I was.

Was she sincere, or was she mocking me? Did she even know about me? Of course she did! Everyone knew…didn't they?

My head hurt. Worried, I quickly sought out my sister. She was perched on a windowsill, avoiding her friends for the moment, lest the prospective parents avoid them as well. I risked a glance behind me and nearly jumped out of my fur. The tigress was _two feet away_!

I bolted to the window. "Elisha!" I called. Hearing her name, she glanced down curiously. Upon seeing my distressed expression, she didn't hesitate to hop down from the window, making her way toward me.

"What's wrong?" she inquired as she reached where I was standing, worry etched across her features.

"Someone's _stalking_ me!" I whispered fiercely.

The tigress must of heard me, for her musical laughter sounded behind me. I whirled around. "_See_?" I cried, spreading my arms widely to portray my panicked agitation, no longer caring who saw me. Elisha's eyes narrowed as she inspected the amused tigress, looking her up and down. Then, she initiated operation Sibling-Protection.

"You got a problem, Lady?" she demanded, raising an eyebrow. In spite of her harsh inquiry, the woman's smile never waved. In fact, it almost seemed to grow.

"And who might you be?" she asked my sister pleasantly.

"The sister of the boy you've been _stalking_," was Elisha's pointed reply. "Now do us a favor and leave us alone. We've got enough trouble as it is."

The woman sighed. "I didn't mean to frighten him," she murmured. "I was just-"

"I wasn't _frightened_!" I immediately protested, scrambling to collect my scattered pride. "I was just…weirded-out." I finished lamely.

The tigress chuckled. "All right then," she continued, "I stand corrected. I didn't mean to 'weird you out'." At this phrase, amusement danced in her eyes, and I reddened slightly, suddenly realizing how ridiculous that sounded. "I was simply curious. I've heard so much about you two."

Immediately, my sister stiffened, unconsciously moving to step protectively in front of me. "Gee, I wonder why…," she murmured, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The woman ignored her. "You see, I've heard that you're both 'cursed', 'evil', and even, heaven forbid, 'demon children'." She laughed again, as thought it were the most ridiculous this she'd ever heard, and Elisha relaxed slightly. "But all I see are two children, alone and unwanted…cornered by circumstance." The wolf's eyes darkened slightly at the thought of it. Elisha gazed at her for a long time, contemplating. Finally, she spoke.

"We're not alone," she corrected the tigress as she took a step closer to me to place an arm casually around my shoulders. "We have each other." It was probably the most tacky thing she'd ever said, but I thought it summed things up quite nicely.

The woman's warm smile widened, and her eyes sparkled as she gazed at us with a look I'd only seen on my sister's face. Affection. "You'll have more than that pretty soon," she informed us, smiling mysteriously. And with that, she gave us a small nod, turned, and disappeared into the crowd of confused parents.

Elisha and I stared after her for a moment, slightly bewildered. "Well…," Elisha muttered after a while. "That was different." I nodded mutely, already lost in my thoughts.

XXxxXXxxXXxxXX

Two days later, I was sitting at window of our room, staring out at the fallen snow, day dreaming. I'd had that same dream again, and was wondering what it'd be like if I was running through snow, instead of grass. Would it be any more magical. Could my dream even _get_ any more surreal? I couldn't imagine a feeling better than the thrill and ecstasy I had gotten from running.

They say that some dreams have meanings…I wondered what mine was. It wasn't long before the answer came. After all, it was kind of obvious. In the dream, I was like the wind. Undaunted. Wild. _Free_. All I'd ever wanted was that freedom…it was what I lived for. Just the thought of it made me quiver as pure pleasure shot through my system. I'd be unstoppable, with no walls to hold me back. Even the curse wouldn't matter.

"_Dash_! _Elisha_!" I flinched as the squawked call rang through the hallways. Of course…it was just a dream. Nothing more.

I had to resist the urge to hide as the headmaster's gnarled old head poked into the door. She looked flustered. And furious. Definitely _not_ a good combination.

I scrambled to attention, standing in front of her with my feet together and my back strait. "Y-yes ma'am?" I squeaked, then coughed, pretending to clear my throat. The crow's scowl pierced into me, as thought she was attempting to drill a hole through my head with her glare alone. I swallowed nervously.

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally ordered, "Pack your things!" And with that, she whirled around and stormed away to find Elisha. I blinked. Okay…?

XXxxXXxxXXxxXX

Ten minutes later, I was running down the hallway, my pillowcase stuffed with the few item I possessed, Elisha at my heals. We arrived at the office about a minute later, breathless.

The offices sole occupants were the headmaster, some fox in a suit, and…that tigress. I blinked in surprise. What was _she_ doing here? I turned my questioning gaze to the headmaster, though I'm not sure what I expected, but she just turned and scowled at the wall. So, I looked to the tigress, who was smiling warmly at us. She seemed to be radiating triumph, which only served to confuse me further.

Seeing my confusion, she brought her hands out from behind her back and handed us both a small packet of paper, one for me, the other for my bewildered sister. I didn't even have a chance to look at it before…

Thump.

I looked toward the sound with mild surprise. There, on the floor, lay Elisha, collapsed in a dead faint. Just what was on…I peered curiously at my packet. They were adoption papers. _Our_ adoption papers. The world spun.

Me: Aaaaand DONE! *beams* That took awhile…Anywho, reviews inspire me! So Happy Writing! ^_^


	6. Dear Journal

Me: Okay, let's get one thing strait. This chapter is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE WELL-WRITEN! It was written from a journal POV, meaning however good she is at writing, that's how well-written the entries are. Also, if something doesn't make any sense, BLAME HER! Anywho, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Do I _have_ to? _Really_?

_Tuesday, 6/10/42 1:03pm_

_Whew! I'm exhausted! I've been hauling wood around from dawn till dusk! We were clearing the forest near the bay today. Supposedly, it'll give us more beach or something. Still, we __**do**__ need the wood. It's just __**so tiring**__! Usually, we'd leave this stuff to the village's carpenters, but this is a big job. A __**really**__ big job!_

_Everyone in the town is helping, all thirty-one of us! Even the children are happy to lend us a hand, carrying stacks of wood to and from the rapidly decreasing forest. The old folks are organizing everything, rightly so since they've been around the longest. Even grumpy old Sam is-_

_Woops. Times up. I have to get back to work._

_Tuesday, 6/10/42 6:17pm_

_Okay, usually I don't journal twice in one day, but so much has happened so suddenly, I just have to record it while it's still fresh in my mind. We found a boy. Yes, a boy. A little hedgehog. He's currently sleeping at May's house, since she's the closest thing we have to a nurse. It's a relief that he finally fell asleep, actually. The poor thing just wouldn't stop whimpering. I can't help but wonder why he's so…but I'm rambling. Let me start from the beginning. _

_I was in the middle of chopping down a pretty good-sized tree when I heard Dave calling for help. Since I was the closest to him, I reached him first. I found him on his knees, cradling the boy I mentioned earlier. _

_The child was a sorry looking thing. He had no shoes or gloves and his fur was matted, unkempt, and caked with mud. And, he was covered with blood. That pretty much scared the living daylights out of me, and I thought that he'd been hurt. Badly._

_Dave and I rushed him to Mays, who immediately began to search for any obvious wounds. There weren't any that she could see, but then we could barely see anything with all of the grim covering his fur. It took us nearly a half-hour to clean him, for, though it might've been much easier to just give him a bath, May was worried about his wound, so we had to slowly sponge him down. It was a lot of blood…_

_When he was finally clean, though, we were surprised to discover that the only obvious wounds were the small cuts that dotted his fur. After a thorough examination, May announced that the cause to his unconsciousness was pure exhaustion and malnutrition. And that the blood must've belonged to someone else…I can't imagine what this child has been through. He couldn't have been more than five or six years old._

_When the child woke up, he didn't speak a word. He just wrapped his skinny little arms around May and whimpered pitifully. May warned us not to ask him what had happened. He needed some time to recover. Still, the boy's past intrigues me. I honestly can't wait to find our more._

_Wednesday, 28/10/42 9:47pm_

_Man, have I been __**busy**__! I haven't written in this thing for almost a month! It's not entirely my fault, though. Little Dash is proving to be quite a handful! That's the name of the boy, we found out. We still don't know what happened to him. May says we'll probably never know. But that doesn't really bother me anymore. _

_Dash made a surprisingly quick recovery. From the day he first awoke, he's been inhaling his food as though it would disappear clear off his plate! It was barely two weeks after we found him that the other children __**finally**__ convinced him to play with them. He just fit right in. It isn't that surprising, though. Ted says this is the perfect environment for him. Though most of us aren't related, we've known each other practically all of our lives. We're a very close-knit community, and the family atmosphere made him feel right at home. _

_But anyway, even though the little hedgie seemed shy at first, some of us are starting to believe he was sent to our island for the sole purpose of aggravating the adults! The children love him though, the little devil. He's the single most-_

_Dang it, the little bugger just pounced me. Where was I? He's the single most mischievous child I have __**ever**__ encountered! And he's sooooooo restless. He can't seem to stand still for more that two seconds!_

_Speaking of which, 'Dash' seems to be an appropriate name for him; he's twice as fast as any of the people in our village! Not even poor Mariah, once the fastest in out village (which isn't really saying a lot, but still…) can keep up with him anymore. And on top of that, he seems to be getting __**faster**__! _

_Luckily, we have a fairly big, heavily forested island, so there are plenty of places for Dash to explore. It's funny how someone so hyper can be so interested in observing. Depending on-_

…_Pounced again. Anyway, depending on his mood, the hedgie could sit at the window for __**hours**__ and watch the world go by. Usually, though, he can't resist taking part in the action. Well, as much action as you could get in a homey little village like this. Usually, Dash has to make his __**own**__ chaos, a talent which he seems to be exceptionally good at._

_Once, he even-_

_Just what is it with this hedgie and __**pouncing**__? __**Honestly**__? Oh yeah, did I mention I'm keeping him here? He's gonna stay with me for a while; we're giving May a break. We had a town meeting about a week after we found him. There, we agreed that Dash, being a homeless orphan, was now apart of our small village and that we'd all have to take turns taking care of him. It-_

…_Sorry bout that. I had to chase the pouncing little imp clear across the cabin! Honestly, this is the __**third time **__I've put him to bed! Where was I? Oh yeah. It was, of course, up to him who he'd stay with. Which was fine, since he never really seemed to like staying with one family for very long. So far, he's stayed in five of the seventeen cottages that make up our 'town'. Once, he even slept under the stars._

_Now, as for why he chose me…Well, it could be because I'm familiar, being one of the first people he saw. He __**did**__ seem to take a bit of an interest in me, since that night. It could also be because I'm one of the few hedgehogs in the village. Or maybe my yellow fur makes me appear more friendly and cheerful? Though, from what I know of the little hedgie so far, it's more likely because-_

…_.I'm just so pouncable._

_Saturday, 14/8/43 11:24am_

_*gasp, pant wheeze* I. Am. EXHAUSTED! I've been chasing down that little urchin down for the past two __**hours**__! __**Honestly**__, I've never met a child so __**against**__ taking a bath. A __**bath**__! How is that so horrible? Of course, __**Jeff**__, the clueless fox, had to blurt out the bath plans while Dash was in earshot. The little speed demon was gone before I could blink! _

_I sighed wearily, knowing I couldn't possibly be able to catch him. We can't exactly measure how fast he is now, but we have a pretty good idea. Our fastest runner would take three days to lap our island. Seven-year-old __**Dash**__ could lap it __**sixteen times**__ in __**one hour**__. If he was jogging. We have no idea how fast he really is, only that he has been gifted with incredible velocity. _

_When asked about the source of said speed, Dash only mumbled something about a curse and ran off. As much as this increases my curiosity, I can tell it's something he doesn't want to talk about. Linda says he'll tell us when he's good and ready, and not a moment sooner._

_Oh! Speaking of Linda, her child is due tomorrow! Of course, there's always the chance that it will be born late, but even so, I can't wait! The entire village is waiting with baited breath for the fox-kit that is soon to enter the world. _

_Even so, I don't think anyone's more excited than Dash! Over the past year he's been with us, Dash has stayed at the homes of everyone in the village at least twice, even at grumpy old Sam's. Even __**he**__ seems to have a soft spot for the little troublemaker. But of all the places he's stayed, I think Jeff and Linda's little cottage is the closest thing to home for him. He's stayed with them for weeks at a time, and has even been helping Linda with the regular chores during her pregnancy, something that has surprised everyone. _

_No one really knows why he likes Jeff so much, though some, myself included, say he just enjoys pestering the high-strung fox. As smart as he is, Jeff is extremely clumsy, both in speech and physically. Even so, Dash __**does**__ defend him many times, saying something along the lines of "No one's allowed to pester him but __**me**__.". Well, not exactly, but still…_

_Tuesday, 17/8/43 4:02am_

_It's happening! It's time! I can't believe- She's almost- I wonder if- I have to go!_

_Tuesday, 17/8/43 5:07am_

_Wow! Things have been really chaotic! Linda went into labor about an hour ago! Now, Dash is pinging off the walls and Jeff nearly went into cardiac arrest! _

_Dash was hanging outside May's for over a half-hour, demanding he be let in and trying to peek through the shades of the window. We thought we'd never drag him away! Finally, May just stuck her head out the door and began to describe to the persistent hedgie some of the more…gruesome sides of childbirth. It wasn't long before he began turning a lovely shade of maroon._

_He hadn't bothered them since then, but he never strayed too far from the cottage porch. In fact, from the way he was impatiently pacing back and forth, his features unable to decide whether they should be excited or worried and somehow managing to accomplish both, you'd think it was __**his**__ wife giving birth in there!_

_Speaking of worried husbands, Jeff fainted. Again. No surprise there. I think he's woken up three times already._

"_No, Jeff, you're not dreaming. You're about to become a father." _

_And down he goes. Tracy and I are placing bets on how many times he will faint tonight, er…today. The looser has to give Dash his next bath. I do __**not**__ intent on loosing!_

_Tuesday, 17/8/43 7:43am_

_This is truly the night I will never forget. It's a boy. Oh my gosh…It's a boy! I…I got to __**hold**__ him! Ohhhhh life is good! It seems so promising! I mean, the little one may be…but that doesn't matter. Another life has just been born into the world, and it is our job to protect and guide him as he grows. It's funny how everything seems just a little bit brighter after holding an infant! He's so innocent; I'm filled with a mixture of excitement and fear about the years to come. And I'm not even the mother! *sigh* I'm rambling again…_

_It was about forty-five minutes ago that we heard it, the first cry of a newborn. It was the most beautiful sound I'll ever hear. I was watching Dash at the time, and I saw my own awe reflected on his face. He was frozen stiff, with his little eyes wide and his mouth slightly open in mid-gasp. Six-year-old Annie commented that he looked like he'd been shot. I find it incredible that such a mischievous child, especially one of his age, could understand the gravity of the events that just took place._

_May had peeked out her head a few minutes later, and had laughed at our flabbergasted expressions. Then, she'd turned to Jeff, who had miraculously managed to stay conscious for the past hour or so, and invited him in. Dash, of course, was not about to be left out. After much persuasion, May let us in as well._

_I think Dash was actually trembling when he saw the infant for the first time. May had been cradling the infant, about to hand him to his mother, when she hesitated. _

_She'd warned Linda that this kit was a bit different, and maybe not what she had in mind. I think she was afraid Linda would be disappointed with her child. Obviously, she didn't know her as well as we'd thought._

_When Linda saw the child's defect, his two tails, she'd merely smiled lovingly at him and said, "Oh…is that all?"_

_Dash, like Linda, hadn't seem the least bit concerned. _

"_Cool," was all he had to say on the matter, and then the subject was closed. "Can I hold him?"_

_Chucking, Linda had suggested he let the kit's father hold him first. May and I had trailed behind him, both of us thinking pretty much the same thing. Catch the baby. It was a really sweet scene, with Jeff's eyes watering behind his glasses as he took his son into his arms for the first time, the old softy. Ten minutes later…_

_Thunk. Jeff hit the floor. May and I had both hurtled ourselves toward the falling infant, but it was Dash who'd caught him. _

_Seconds later, it'd dawned on the young hedgie that he was actually holding the newborn, and he looked down at the kit and smiled, whispering a nervous "H-Hi there." When the kit's ears swiveled in his direction, the knowledge that he now had the fox's attention had seemed to give him some confidence as he suddenly introduced himself. "My name's Dash an' you don't hafta worry 'bout a thing cause I'm gonna make sure your always okay! Always an' forever an' ever! I'm gonna take care of you now, cause that what big brother's do an' I'm your big brother. Aren't I Mrs. Linda?" _

_Now, I'm not sure if that was exactly what he had said, but I think I got the jest of it. When I left the cottage a while later, Dash was still rambling on to the kit, who'd fallen asleep some time before. _

_For the next few minutes, I just had wandered aimlessly, absorbing all that had transpired. That's what I'm doing now, actually. Slowly but surely, as I write this, my feet are carrying me toward the beach._

_My mind is buzzing; I feel so alive! I mean, he's just so __**tiny**__! And he's so helpless…I'm not quite sure what is so breath-taking about an infant, but it effected everyone, even Dash. __I can see the sunrise now, as I write this. It's kind of symbolic, in a way…The dawning of a new day…a new life…The clouds are rimmed with gold, and the vibrant colors fi-_

_The tide's gone out! I have to warn them and get everyone out of here before-_

Me: Cliffi! Bwahahaha! Right, so for whoever skipped over the first note, like I always do…This chapter is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE WELL-WRITEN! It was written from a journal POV, meaning however good she is at writing, that's how well-written the entries are. Also, if something doesn't make any sense, BLAME HER! Yeah…

Oh! I'm now UPDATING ONCE A WEEK on weekends only! (Friday afternoons included) However, what I update completely depends on what people want updated the most. Or my moods. *shrugs* So, for instance, someone begged me to update What If You Met Your Childhood Hero, so that's gonna be updated NEXT.

To whoever read to the end of this…(gives 2,000 dollar Starbucks gift card)


	7. John Doe

**Me:**** My house has three computers. One belongs to my mother, and if I laid a finger on it, I'd be grounded till I'm thirty. The second is my computer. Now, my mother is teaching a computer class, and she comes up short a computer. So, she thinks, why don't I use my daughter's? The other is a family computer, on which I can spend a grand total of two minutes. **

**So, I apologize that I took more than three weeks to write the story, type it up on the computer, and upload it on to fanfiction. Two minutes at a time. Easier said than done. However, I know have my computer back, finals are over, and I will begin to update regularly. However, I am also working on Weakness. You have been warned.**

"Hey, Joan! Could you give me a hand with this?"

Joan looked up from her paperwork at the sound of her name. "Uh…Sure! Just a second!" she called, hurriedly sorting the remaining files in front of her.

"Take your time," the voice called. "I'm in Johnny's room."

"Alright, I'm coming!" Joan answered, already heading down the hall. She frowned in confusion as she entered the dim room. "Why are the lights off?" she asked.

The nurse who'd called her, a young koala, sighed wearily, her eyes fixed on the two children near the wall. "It's another one of Sasha's ideas. She thinks he'll feel safer in the darkness or something." She turned to Joan. "You're good with kids, right? I've been trying to get her to leave for the past fifteen minutes, but the child's as stubborn as a mule! I've done everything I could think of short of physically removing her. Even then, I don't think I _could_, with all of the girl's recent training…"

Joan nodded in agreement, her eyes on the children. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Why don't you go to lunch? It's five till."

The nurse smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Joan. I think I'll do that. What are they serving today?"

Joan wrinkled her nose. "I _think_ it's supposed to be some sort of sausage and broccoli hybrid. I can't be sure…"

Joan's friend groaned. "_Great_…Well, as long as it's been approved by what's-her-name, I guess it's edible. Still, that kid's definitely not eating today. And frankly, I don't blame him." With that, she disappeared down the hall.

As the koala left, Joan quietly took in the scene before her. The first person that caught her eye was the boy. The little blue hedgehog was right where she'd left him last time, sitting on the cold floor with his back to the wall. He was hugging his knees tightly to his chest, his face expressionless. The hedgehog's vacant emerald eyes stared downward, unfocused, and his ears were still and unresponsive. There was no visible sign that he could even hear the girl in front of him.

That didn't seem to deter her in the slightest. The young leopard had sat herself directly in front of him. She had her legs crossed and was leaning forward slightly, talking to him as though they were the best of friends. The girl smiled as she told stories of her new best friend, how big the complex was, how her "idiot brother scared the _bajeebers_" out of her, and "Just what _is_ a bajeeber, anyway?". She didn't seem to mind the fact that the boy couldn't hear her, that he wouldn't even acknowledge her presence. She refused to believe the doctors and the psychiatrist when they said that the boy would stay like this for the rest of his life.

One of the guards had discovered him a couple of miles from their hidden complex, curled up on the ground, dead to the world. He was a sorry sight when he was first brought in. He was sopping wet, and his once-azure fur was caked with mud. He looked half dead, and was covered in bruises. His hands were the worst, though. His gloves had been tattered beyond repair, and his palms and fingers were bleeding from numerous cuts and scrapes.

How he'd become that way was anyone's guess. The doctors and nurses shivered to imagine what had happened to the little hedgehog, but they couldn't get so much as a glance out of him. He was a no-name, a 'John Doe'. They'd come to call him 'Johnny'.

The doctors had puzzled over his lack of response. Some said he'd hit his head, some said it was shock. The psychiatrist declared it to be severe emotional trauma. Whatever had happened to him was so devastating, it'd caused him to retreat inside himself. She said he'd probably snap out of it in a day or two.

That was nearly three weeks ago. For three weeks, 'Jonny' had done nothing but sit there, occasionally rocking back and forth as he stared off into oblivion, forever trapped in his own mind. They could barely get him to eat, for he was limp as a rag doll, not responding to the food they'd placed in his mouth. The little hedgehog got thinner and thinner as the days dragged on. Finally, the psychiatrist proclaimed him too far gone. The doctors proclaimed he would die. Everyone had given up on him.

Everyone, but Sasha.

The little golden leopard never stopped coming, even when everyone else left. She'd sit there for hours with him, never really getting bored. She never tried to get his attention and she never laid a finger on him. The eight-year-old just sat with all the infinite patience of Job.

Sometimes, she spoke. Sometimes she read to him. She even did her homework there, explaining the problems to him step by step. Occasionally, she sang, her voice echoing through the hospital corridors. When she ran out of things to do, she just sat next to him and dreamed.

However, it had been three weeks. It was honestly a miracle the boy hadn't starved yet. He couldn't be saved, and no one thought the girl should waste her life trying to help a lost cause. Yet, here she was, every day without fail.

Joan sighed and pinched her eyebrows, preparing herself for the battle that was to come. "Sasha. What are you doing?"

Sasha turned to her, smiling brightly. "Oh! Hi, Miss Joan!" she greeted cheerfully, amber eyes sparkling in the light from the doorway. "Could you close the door, please? He doesn't like the light."

Joan raised an eyebrow, but did as she was asked. "How do you know, child?" she wondered.

Sasha shrugged, turning back to her friend. "He curls up tighter when the light comes on," she replied, then spoke again to the boy. "That's okay, though. I like the dark too. It's really nice and peaceful. It makes you feel comfortable, doesn't it? Hey Joan, did you see my lunch on the way in?"

Joan blinked at the question. "Yes…I saw your lunch. I think it was on the table…Wait, here it is." She handed the small, tin lunchbox to the leopard. "Sasha, why don't you go and eat your lunch with your friends?"

The leopard opened the box and took out a sandwich. "I am," she replied. "And if he gets hungry, I can give him some of it."

The nurse frowned. "The boy's not going to eat, Sasha."

Sasha shrugged. "He might get hungry," she repeated, and took a bite.

Joan shook her head as the girl continued to eat in silence. It wasn't worth it. She knew from experience that she wouldn't be getting Sasha to leave the hedgehog's side anytime soon.

A few moments later, Sasha heard the door close as the nurse left. For a few minutes, all was quiet. Then she turned back to the boy. She could see his silhouette as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"You lost somebody, didn't you?" she murmured. "You lost your family." Sasha sighed quietly, not seeing one of his ears twitch toward her in the dark. "I can kinda understand. When my parents died last year, I was really, _really_ sad. For a long time, I didn't want to talk to anybody, jus' like you.

"But you know what? My brother was sad too. He was sadder than I was and he never smiled at _anything_. So, I decided to be happy. I was happy, even though it hurt really much. I had to be really, really happy because I have to be happy for _both_ of us. Besides, Mommy didn't like it when I was sad. Mommy always wanted me to be happy, so I am."

Then, Sasha smiled, her face lighting up. "Now, it's really easy for me to be happy! I've got lotsa friends and my brother's not sad anymore! We play tag and hide-and-go-seek and I found a _really cool_ hiding place that's a super secret that no one knows about! It's really fun!"

The leopard's smile softened as she leaned closer to him. "I betcha all of your friends woulda wanted you to have fun too." The boy's other ear swiveled toward her. She didn't notice. "I betcha they wouldn't want you to always be sad. It's okay to miss them, but you can't always be sad. You've gotta be happy _for_ them, okay? You gotta be really happy and you gotta play tag with us! I'll be your friend and I'll make it easier for you to be happy!

"I know that you're going to get better soon," she continued, leaning back to stare at the ceiling. "I don't care if you takes you a long time; I'm going to be here, okay? I'm going to be here when you wake up and I'm going to show you how to play tag! And hide-and-go-seek!"

Then she turned back toward him. "I know! Why don't we play hide-and-go-seek-tag! It's where you hide and when the person finds you, you run so they can't catch you and…" Sasha suddenly quieted, looking in wonder at the boy. His head had raised slightly, and he was watching her silently, his emerald eyes catching the light from the cracks in the curtains.

The leopard smiled. "…And you have to run really fast, cause if they tag you, you have to help them find people. The last person to get tagged is 'it' in the next game! It's really fun!" As she spoke, the boy slowly lowered his head back down, his eyes once again becoming unfocused. Sasha was on cloud nine continued to talk, undeterred.

Every now and then, the boy's eyes shifted up to her before returning to his knees. Both of his ears remained trained on her, listening.

XXxxXXxxXXxxXX

The physiatrist and the doctors stood in a crowd, chattering urgently amongst themselves. They argued about theories and calculations, the nervous system and mental stability. Suddenly, they yelped, as a small crowd of children sped through them, bumping into people and laughing. A blue hedgehog was at their heals, his face stretched into a excited grin as he chased them.

As far as they knew, the boy had been completely unresponsive for three-and-a-half weeks. The next thing anyone knew, he was eating normally and running around with the other children as though nothing had happened.

They simply couldn't explain it.

**Me:**** So, what do you think happened? How did Sonic end up the way he did? Don't spaz, you'll find out soon enough...Until then, click the insperation buttton! And VOTE ON MY POLL!**

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